Missing Sid

Dave Lanning and legendary co-commentator Sid Waddell provided the words as the likes of Eric Bristow and Phil Taylor lifted the top trophy in darts.

But this year’s championship will be the first without Waddell, who died in August.

The now-retired Lanning, 74, said: “Sid was a brilliant wordsmith — a Picasso of puns and parody. He painted word pictures in great big brush strokes. He was a natural comedian with a common vibe.

“Sid, with his nimble thinking, sense of fun and word mastery, would have equally well fitted in with the Goons, Monty Python, Blackadder or The Two Ronnies.

“People would watch the darts as much for the commentary as for the matches themselves. He was simply a one-off.”

Waddell, born the son of a Geordie coalface miner 72 years ago in Ashington, went on to study history at Cambridge University.

Lanning said: “Typical of Sid, he tried to get the university authorities to introduce a blue for darts.

“Sid was a born entertainer and he got me into some terrible scrapes over the years.

“Once, when we were covering a competition in Las Vegas, he dragged me off to a pool hall somewhere in the desert.

“It was some something out of Pulp Fiction. When it was time to leave no taxis would pick us up. We got a lift from some bloke who was the local Red Indian agent and had this murderous-looking dog on the front seat called Sweetie. So we had to clamber in the back and sit among all these bloody totem poles and tomahawk souvenirs.

“And there we were — the two leading commentators on a transmission that minutes later would be going out live to the world!

“Sid was also an absolutely ferocious karaoke singer.

“Once he was karaokeing all night and lost his bloody voice just before the semi-finals and final of the world matchplay.

“So, after that, Sky banned him from karaoke singing.”

The winner of this year’s championship will lift the new Sid Waddell Trophy.

Lanning said: “He would have loved that. Sid would have probably taken it down the A2 and posed with it outside the appropriate town hall.